The Anunnaki Bk. 03

"If that's how you feel, challenge him," he said.

Aniël sniffed in disgust.

"Humans are not worth challenging," he said.

"And yet, you speak Dingir for fear he might overhear you," Eremiël sneered.

"I have no fear," Aniël said defensively, "I choose not to speak their mongrel language."

Eremiël shook his head and returned to his own work, polishing and working his sword to a fine edge.

As Aniël walked away, Eremiël locked eyes with Manuel. Manuel grinned and went back to honing the edge of his own sword.

Chapter II

Manuel looked up with surprise when he saw Ëa enter the arena. The alien leader was himself an accomplished swordsman but he typically practiced in private with his personal Guard.

Ëa walked past him with a nod and went into the back area of the arena. Azraël appeared and frowned at him. They spoke a few quiet words and then went into a closed alcove together.

Although Manuel's workout was long completed and his kit had been properly maintained, he picked up his breast plate and started polishing it one more time. He did it slowly as he studied the closed door. His curiosity was piqued.

"What brings you here today?" Azraël said with a grunt. Few other Dingir would speak to their Lord in this way.

"I must speak to you in private," Ëa said in a low voice.

Azraël raised one eyebrow and gestured to the empty room around them. The alcove they were in contained only a chair and a plain table. He propped his backside on the desk and grinned.

"What's on your mind?" he asked.

Ëa paused momentarily and blinked.

"Before I go on, I need to ensure that you share none of what I'm about to tell you," he said.

"Do I look like a novice?" the sword master answered with a grin.

Ëa grinned back and released a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

"War is coming," Ëa said, "I think."

Azraël grinned and scratched his cheek with a calloused finger.

"It is not certain," Ëa said, "Not yet. But I believe it is coming."

Still grinning Azraël dropped to the floor and began pacing. In his mind he was going through their readiness and capabilities. He liked their chances, regardless of not knowing yet who or what they were facing.

"Tell me what you need," he said eagerly.

Ëa grinned and leaned against the wall.

"You haven't asked me who the enemy is," he said.

"Does it matter?" Azraël replied.

"Perhaps," Ëa said, "In truth, we don't yet know who they are."

Azraël's eyes opened in surprise.

"I assumed they were Humans," he said, "Or a rogue group of Dingir."

"Neither of those things," Ëa said with a shake of his head.

"Are you telling me we've come across a new race?" he asked in amazement.

"Very likely," Ëa said, "Though we don't know anything about them yet. All we know for certain is they are approaching from deep space. They are close to the outermost planets and will be near to the rings of Anshar in about four Earth years."

"Hmph," Azraël grunted, "What makes you think they're not Dingir? If they're coming from beyond the outer rings, it could be a group of our ships."

"Not where they're coming from," Ëa said, "The angle of approach is all wrong. Nibiru is far away and at an ecliptic of thirty degrees. These strangers are approaching from the opposite direction and at a different angle. There is no way any of our ships could have drifted so far off the established route. And the distance to our home world is now so great, we would not see any ships approaching from there for at least another ten Earth years, probably more."

Azraël bit his lip and sat against the table once more. He sat in thought for a moment and stared at the floor.

"I would like to receive a readiness report from you," Ëa said, "And I want you to step up novice training. Everyone who can wield a sword will be needed sooner rather than later."

Azraël grimaced and looked out the window to see Manuel, the Human, bent over his kit. Ëa followed his gaze and turned back to him with a half-smile.

"Him too?" he asked distastefully.

Ëa smiled and placed a hand on Azraël's shoulder.

"You know me so well!" he said with a broad smile.

Azraël sighed heavily and Ëa left the room.

He walked toward the exit and then paused and turned as Manuel strode up behind him.

"My good friend!" Ëa said, "You look well."

"I'm doing well!" he replied, "So, what's with the secret meeting?"

"Secret?" Ëa said innocently, "There is no secret."

Manuel smiled and fell into step beside the tall alien. It was not an easy feat.

"I don't think I've seen you in the arena more than twice in the whole time I've been here," he said, "Now you show up and immediately go into a closed room to speak with the Master? There has to be a secret!"

Ëa stopped walking and grinned.

"You're convinced there has to be some secret?" he asked.

"I was an investigator for over twenty years," Manuel said with a smile, "I know when something's up."

Ëa regarded him with no expression and blinked.

"Come with me," he said after a pause, "I will tell you."

An hour later Manuel stared at Ëa grimly. In his mind he was thrown back to his old days as a Ranger. He was grappling with the concept, not only of going to war, but doing it in the vacuum of space against an unknown enemy.

"You're telling me they're coming here?" he said, his voice even and business-like.

"We're not certain yet," Ëa said, "We're not certain yet of anything! We anticipate they will be within striking distance of Gaga in the next few weeks."

"Gaga?"

"Gaga is the planet you call Pluto," he explained, "We expect they will press on to Anshar, that is Saturn, within four of your years."

Manuel nodded and clenched his jaw.

"Do we even know how many they are?" he asked.

"Only that they come in many ships," the alien replied, "It appears there is one mother ship and a few thousand smaller vessels."

"That sounds like a substantial force," Manuel said.

"It does," Ëa said, "That is why I am seeking approval from the council to ask your home world for help."

Manuel's eyes grew wide and a slight grin appeared on his face.

"Our special ops guys would jump at the chance!" he said, "Rangers, Seals, Berets; they'd be all in!"

"I believe there are Special Forces from several of your nations," Ëa said.

Manuel nodded approvingly.

"Yeah" he said, "There's SAS from Britain, CHSM from France; the Israelis have some guys that are formidable. Everything I've heard about them is kick-ass!"

Ëa nodded and sighed.

"We shall have to get approval from the council first," he said, "Then we would have to ask your world governments if they're willing to help."

"Are you kidding?" Manuel exclaimed, "If aliens are coming to invade, they'll have to!"

"It is not as clear as that," Ëa said, "They might view us as their saviors and leave it in our hands to defend them. We do, after all, possess superior technology. They might view that as advantage enough."

Manuel frowned and grimaced.

"Yeah, some of them might take a backseat," he said, "But not all! Like I said, our spec-ops guys would be screaming to get in on the action."

"If their rulers allow them," Ëa replied.

Manuel nodded grimly and set his jaw.

"Let me talk to them!" he said with feeling, "I'll get them on board!"

Ëa grinned and sat back.

"Your help on that might be necessary," he said, "We shall see. In the meantime, nothing of this conversation is to be shared with anyone!"

Manuel nodded without speaking.

Two days later Ëa was back in the council chamber facing the other members.

Their demeanor was much deflated from their previous meeting. Nannar and Utu were downcast and dour. Ninti and Adad also looked serious but less grim. Inanna was positively beaming. Looking at her, Ëa was almost certain he knew what their decision had been.

Nannar shifted in his seat and sighed.

"The council has been debating this issue," he said, "These strangers, whoever they are, may indeed pose a significant threat. We have decided that we need to send scouts to assess their intentions."

"That is not all we need to do!" Inanna said sharply, "We agreed! I will command a force to confront them. We will make a stand and defy them to cross into our territory."

"We also agreed," Ninti put in with a note of admonishment, "That we will try to talk to them before any military action is considered."

Inanna rolled her eyes and sighed. She nodded reluctantly and eased back in her chair.

"I will accompany our Niece," Ninti went on.

"No!" Ëa said swiftly, "That cannot happen!"

Ninti frowned and stood. She walked over to Ëa and put her hand on his cheek.

"Dear Brother," she said gently, "If our people meet any armed resistance, they will need medical personnel on hand. I will have my hospital ship near-by in the event of any casualties. We have already agreed on this."

"I was not consulted," Ëa said truculently.

"It does not matter," she said, "I already told you and everyone else that I would talk to them. I will be surrounded by Inanna and her people. In addition I will have my own retinue on hand. I will be well protected."

Ëa sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose with two fingers.

"Dear Sister," he said in a pained voice, "I could not go on were you to be captured or killed. Please do not do this!"

"My mind is made up," she said, "And that is an end to it."

Ëa sat in the nearest chair and sank into himself.

"You did ask for volunteers at our last meeting," Nannar said with a slight grin.

Ëa shot him a baleful look and growled deep in his throat.

"I will hold you personally responsible should anything happen to her!" he hissed.

Nannar folded his arms across his chest and sneered.

"Remember!" Ëa went on, "Ninti is beloved of your father too! He will be sorely angered if anything were to happen to her!"

"And don't think I will cover up for your cowardice!" Inanna said with a grin, "I have the ear of Great King Än! He will hear all about your prevarications in this."

Nannar squirmed in his seat and glared at the others.

"You all heard her!" he said, "She said she was willing to go!"

Ëa and Inanna shook their heads in disgust.

"Well," Ëa said finally, "Tell me of your preparations."

"I asked for ten thousand warriors and two thousand pilots," Inanna sniffed, "They allowed me two thousand warriors in addition to my own retinue. I will also have two hundred pilots and fifty scout ships."

Ëa nodded and sighed.

"Will that be enough?" he asked, "We do not know their numbers yet."

"The intention is simply to meet them," Adad said, "If we can stop them, then we have accomplished something. If we cannot, at least we will have learned their capabilities."

"The intention is to talk with them," Ninti reminded them, "As eager as Inanna is to earn glory in battle, we need to determine if battle is their goal."

"That is a good plan," Ëa said with a wrinkle of his nose, "As good as can be done anyway."

"In addition," Ninti said, "The decision was made that we ask the people of Earth for their help. It may not be necessary, but they have as much right to know about these strangers as we. They may be willing to lend some of their warriors."

"Good!" Ëa said a little more brightly, "I know just the person to help make that happen!"

-*-

Manuel settled himself once more into the recliner on the viewing deck of Ëa's massive ship. He and the tall alien had spent most of their trip here.

This deck was encased in a Perspex canopy through which the vastness of space could be seen as they traveled. It was suspended over an area of the ship known as his Inner Sanctum, a room larger than two football fields and decorated with Greek or Roman style statues and carvings. The walls of this room were stone slabs twice as tall as Ëa himself, almost three times Manuel's height.

The lighting was soft, almost dim. The faint light made for the best backdrop through which to watch the stars from the viewing deck.

After six days of seeing nothing but small pinpoints of light in space, one of those pinpoints began to grow. The Earth now looked to be about the size of a basketball and would soon take up almost the entire view.

Manuel grimaced slightly as he sipped at the glass of whisky Ëa gave him. The hot coffee he served with it didn't do anything to allay the bitterness of the liquor. He would have preferred tequila or Ouzo even, not to mention a cold mug of beer. But when Ëa of Nibiru offered you a drink, you didn't quibble over what it was!

"We will be in Kï's orbit shortly," the alien said, "Kï is our name for your planet Earth. We are currently traveling in what you would call stealth mode. No one there can see us coming yet."

"That makes the ship invisible doesn't it," Manuel replied, trying to wrap his head around the idea that this immense vessel could travel anywhere unseen.

"To all intents and purposes yes," Ëa said, "There are ways of seeing through the screen, but I don't believe your people are aware of them.

"When we arrive, we will make contact with your America. I'm hoping to open up a dialogue with the world governments and I believe that would best be served by contacting them first."

Manuel frowned and looked down.

"Something concerns you?" Ëa asked.

"Well," Manuel said slowly, "The USA is definitely someone you want on your side, but other governments might feel miffed that they weren't contacted at the same time."

"I did consider that," the alien said, "Which is why I specifically asked for Nancy Halford to attend. She was at one time a prominent member of your UN. Through her, I believe we can engage the other world leaders in a positive manner."

It was Nancy Halford who led the negotiating teams some twenty years before when the Dingir first arrived on Earth; at least most recently. She was the person who introduced Ëa to the world on the front lawn of the UN. She announced the historic agreement between the Dingir and the people of Earth, where the aliens provided advanced technology in exchange for gold. She had been the most prominent person on Earth when anything considering the Dingir was talked about.

"You already contacted them?"

"I contacted her," Ëa said, "I asked her to arrange a meeting with the people she thought would be most appropriate."

"She knows about the aliens at the edge of the solar system then?" Manuel asked.

"No not specifically," Ëa said, "Only that the information I have greatly concerns the Human race."

The next morning they boarded the shuttle that would carry them to the planet's surface. Six of Ëa's personal Guard were on board with them. The remaining two hundred or so in his retinue stayed on board the mother ship.

The Guards were decked out in their finest mail. Their bronze breast plates and greaves shone like mirrors; their helms equally radiant. They carried their seven foot pikes in their hands and wore four foot broadswords on their belts. Manuel knew some of them from the arena. He had never once bested any of them in the bouts the Guards frequently engaged in. They were just too good!

He had changed from his customary toga and sandals into his black suit with white shirt, tie and dress shoes. The tailor in the Mars habitat marketplace frowned and rolled his eyes at Manuel's request, but he made the suit. He made several suggestions about the outfit, mostly regarding color or style but Flores had been resolute on what he wanted.

Ëa was wearing his formal finery including his white tunic with gold filigree, a dark blue cloak hanging over one shoulder and a ringlet of flowers shaped from gold on his head.

They descended onto the roof of the Pentagon in stealth mode. This was at the request of the American delegation that was set to meet with them. They didn't want any members of the public or nosey reporters talking about the day the Dingir returned to visit. It was the revelation that the aliens had subjugated and enslaved the entire Human race in the ancient past that caused them to be exiled from the planet. In many ways, there was still a great deal of bitterness among the people of Earth.

For the moment, the Americans decided that this meeting should be kept secret from everyone.

The rear panel opened and Ëa and Manuel disembarked followed closely by two of the six Guards. They were met by a detachment of six Marines and a pair of young men wearing suits similar to Manuel's. The men eyed the fully armored Guards warily. Their imposing height caused similar reactions to any Human who met them in person.

As the rear hatch closed, the shuttle quietly winked out of sight. Unseen it rose to a height of twelve hundred feet and stayed hidden from view.

They were led through a rooftop doorway that led down a set of stairs. All of the Dingir, each of them standing almost seven feet, had to duck a little to fit through it. They emerged onto a floor that was completely devoid of activity. A corridor led in both directions for a long distance. Their guides led them to the left and into a doorway close by.

When they entered they saw a large conference table where eight men sat. At their head sat Nancy Halford. She watched them enter with no outward sign of expression. The Dingir Guards took up positions against the wall and grounded their pikes. Their Marine counterparts stationed themselves along the opposite wall.

"Ëa!" Nancy said with a slight smile, "It's been a while!"

"Child Nancy," the alien responded with a smile, "I am very happy to see you!"

She had changed since their last meeting. No longer a vibrant woman in her forties, she was now approaching her mid-sixties with grey hair and severe lines on her face. The shrewdness in her eyes though had not changed one bit.

Ms. Halford frowned briefly and sighed.

"I'm getting older by the minute and every breath I take could be my last," she said tersely, "So let's dispense with the niceties and get down to business! I've been retired now for over fifteen years and I was happily sipping tea on the back porch of my summer home when I got your message.

"I passed it on to the powers that be and was happy to resume sipping tea. I thought I'd given enough of my life to public service but those same powers that be insisted that I attend these meetings."

She waved to a large chair especially designed for the alien and nodded. Ëa sat and Manuel took the seat next to him.

Chapter III

Nancy Halford surveyed the room and took a deep breath.

"The men you see around this table represent America's defence and intelligence organizations," she said, "Albert Brock is the Secretary of Defence. Myles Hampton Secretary of the Navy, George Miller Secretary of the Airforce and Stewart Jones Secretary of the Army. Jerry Nadler is the Director of the CIA, Howard Johns Director of the FBI, George Townson Director of Military Intelligence and John Richter Director of the NSA."

Albert Brock grimaced as he studied Ëa and his two Guards. He leaned to his left and whispered to George Miller.

"I've never trusted these guys," he said grumpily, "I don't know what it is. There's just something about them that bothers me!"

George frowned as he listened and nodded sagely.

"Let's see what they've got to say for themselves," he whispered back.

As they spoke, Ëa allowed himself a brief smile having heard every word and thought.

"We're all here," Nancy said, "Now what's this all about Ëa? Your message was rather cryptic."

The alien made a slight bow toward her and then turned to address all of the others at the table. All eight men looked severe and more than a little irritated.

"Our watchers have detected strangers entering the solar system," he said, "They are very far away at present. They will approach the orbit of Gaga, the planet you call Pluto, within a few weeks. For now, we know only that they come in great numbers."